Gavino
Jeanie’s quiet on our ride through the city the next day. She spent the night in her suite in the main house and didn’t leave. I have a few spies hidden in the staff and they feed me information when I ask for it, and they’re keeping an eye on her for me—just in case my family gets some ideas. I’m not about to start staying in the main house just because Jeanie’s there.
And it’s not that I think my own flesh and blood will do anything to hurt Jeanie, but they are protective of their children and the business, and I wouldn’t put it past them to grill the poor girl at the very least. I want to know if anyone pressures her into talking about something she’s not comfortable with so I can put a stop to that right away.
It’s early, and she seems tired. I roll the car along the heart of Phoenix’s business district, past glittering towers, alongside exhausted-looking workers trudging into their offices burdened with backpacks and briefcases, and slow as I reach an old, beat-up structure that looks like it was once a hotel. I park at the curb and kill the engine.
“What’s this?” Jeanie asks, frowning outside.
“This is the deal I’m trying to make with Malcolm.”
Her jaw drops. She blinks and shakes her head. “It looks like a motel from the fifties. What’s it even doing here?”
I laugh softly and lean over her, looking out her window at the crumbling light blue facade and the pale, peeling doorways. “That’s exactly what it was. The place got shut down about ten years ago after the cops raided it and found half the rooms were being used for prostitution and the other half were being used to make and sell meth. Now it’s just an empty eyesore in the heart of the damn city.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Knock it down and build a fucking skyscraper. Come on, let’s go.” I climb out my side and head around the car. She hops out, frowning, blinking around her with a nervous expression as she hurries to keep up.
“Wait, we’re going inside?”
I reach the edge of the property and step onto the old blacktop. It’s littered with broken bricks, weeds, and shattered glass. “What, you don’t want to explore? I thought this was a thing. People wander around in abandoned urban spaces and take pictures for Instagram or whatever you young people are into.”
“It doesn’t look remotely safe and you sound so hilariously old right now.”
“It’s definitely not safe.” I wave as a figure steps out from behind a pillar nearby. He waves back and heads over. “Jeanie, this is Romano, one of my best capos.”
Romano’s tall with dark hair, dark skin, and an easygoing smile. He slouches slightly to seem less giant than he really is, but the man’s a straight-up beast. I’m big and muscled, but Romano is a hulking creature. He’s bigger than Nico and that’s saying something.
“Boss, you’re late.” Romano shakes my hand and looks at Jeanie. “Is this the new assistant you mentioned? She’s pretty. Of course, she’s pretty. I don’t think you’ve ever brought a woman around that wasn’t.”
“Don’t be like that,” I say grinning and glance at Jeanie. She’s blushing. “Romano, Jeanie, Jeanie, Romano. Now you’re introduced. Come on.” I stalk past my capo as he grins at Jeanie and gives her a wink.
She seems totally bewildered, but she hurries to follow. “Is what he said true? You only keep pretty women around? Tell me you’re not that shallow.”
“I don’t keep many women around, period. But the ones that I do tend to be attractive.”
“Oh, god, I shouldn’t be surprised but I am.”
“Aren’t you flattered?”
“No, more like insulted. You just want me because you think I’m beautiful.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” I glance at her, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Life’s short and there are a lot of humans on this planet. Why not surround yourself with attractive ones?”
She pretends to gag as we approach the front of the building and begin skirting around to the right.
“Quiet in there today,” Romano says when he catches up with us. “Cops cleared it out sometime last night and it hasn’t filled back out yet.”
“Any gangs?”
“Nah, just the locals.”
“That’s good.” We reach a side door and I push on it with my foot. It creaks open slowly and I’m blasted with old, stale air and the smell of ancient spilled beer and human refuse.
Jeanie grunts and covers her face with her shirt. “Wow, holy shit, that’s bad.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Romano says and goes in first. I follow after him and Jeanie comes in last.